(Earlier this month, Trump flatly denied knowing anything about the hush money Cohen paid on his behalf to the porn actress Trump apparently had an affair with early in his third marriage.)

Cohen is under investigation for bank fraud, wire fraud, and campaign finance violations. Earlier this month, federal prosecutors seized files from his home and office. Cohen had been attempting to argue that, since he is a lawyer, he should be able to decide which of his files are excluded from the investigation. Trump's declaration that Cohen is not really his lawyer helped DOJ lawyers argue in a motion filed just hours later that he should not be allowed to do so.

Later in the day, the judge in the case effectively ruled against Cohen, meaning that prosecutors will be able to review the seized files almost immediately. In effect, Trump himself may have fatally compromised Cohen's ability to shield Trump from investigation.